Mountain West football rankings as Wolf Pack-Boise State brace for annual showdown

There are four MWC games this week, including: Fresno State-Air Force; San Diego State-Wyoming; Colorado State-New Mexico; and UNLV-Hawaii. Boise State and Nevada have a bye this week before the teams face one another on Dec. 1.

1. Fresno State (previously 1)

Record: 8-3, 6-1

This week: vs. Air Force

Comment: A win over Air Force would assure Fresno State of at least a share of the Mountain West title. The Bulldogs haven’t won a conference title since sharing the WAC championship in 1999.

SDSU, with running back Adam Muema above, is one of four teams that can still win at least a share of the MWC title. (AP)

2. San Diego State (2)

Record: 8-3, 6-1

This week: at Wyoming

Comment: Nevada’s loss to SDSU on Oct. 20 catapulted both teams in opposite directions. Chris Ault said Pack lost confidence after the game. SDSU clearly got a boost. It shows you how important a 2-point conversion can be.

3. Boise State (3)

Record: 9-2, 6-1

This week: Bye

Comment: Boise State looked like the Broncos of old in its rout of Colorado State last week. They were up 42-0 early in the second half before coasting to the easy victory.

4. Air Force (4)

Record: 6-5, 5-2

This week: at Fresno State

Comment: Air Force is bowl eligible once again and will head to the Armed Forces Bowl. Troy Calhoun has led the Falcons to six bowls in six years, an impressive feat considering the academy’s limitations.

5. Nevada (5)

Record: 7-4, 4-3

This week: Bye

Comment: Nevada will probably be a touchdown underdog against Boise State, but beating the Broncos would make this a successful season. Eight wins, plus victories over Cal and rivals Boise State and UNLV.

6. Wyoming (6)

Record: 4-7, 3-4

This week: vs. San Diego State

Comment: With QB Brett Smith finally healthy, Wyoming has won three straight games. This is the team I was expecting when I voted the Cowboys second in my preseason poll.

Wyoming has won three straight games, including a rivalry game victory over Colorado State earlier this month. (AP)

7. New Mexico (7)

Record: 4-8, 1-6

This week: at Colorado State

Comment: New Mexico took the step from laughingstock to competitive this year. Coach Bob Davie said the next step (to being a winning program) will be even harder.

8. Colorado State (8)

Record: 3-8, 2-5

This week: vs. New Mexico

Comment: Rams coach Jim McElwain makes $1.35 million per season, second in the Mountain West behind Boise State’s Chris Petersen. He better get this program going soon.

9. UNLV (9)

Record: 2-10, 2-5

This week: at Hawaii

Comment: Bobby Hauck won 82.4 percent of his games in seven seasons as the coach at Montana. He’s won just 16.2 percent of his games at UNLV. Sometimes the problem is bigger than the coach.

10. Hawaii (10)

Record: 1-9, 0-7

This week: vs. UNLV

Comment: I like Norm Chow, but why did Hawaii hire him and ditch the run-and-shoot? The Warriors are averaging 18 points per game in 2012 after averaging 32 per game the previous five years.

About this blog

Longtime RGJ Media reporter Dan Hinxman is the authority on Wolf Pack athletics, bringing you the day-to-day coverage of Nevada’s sports teams. Dan has covered almost everything the Northern Nevada sports scene has to offer and will use his knowledge to bring you authoritative and engaging Wolf Pack content. Follow him on Twitter at @DanHinxmanRGJ.